May 15 @ 9:00 am – July 9 @ 3:30 pm
Phonics, Vocabulary, and Spelling in the Reading & Writing Classroom in Grades K-3
Examine the essential role that phonics and word study play in developing readers and writers.
In this 8-week online graduate course for teachers, learn about instruction in phonics, phonological awareness, vocabulary, spelling, and word study for children in grades K-3.
- Literacy Coaches & Teacher Leaders
- Classroom Teachers & Interventionists
- Course Number: EEDUC 6039.80
- Fees are subject to change
Expand your knowledge of the alphabetic system and how words work. Assess students’ reading and writing for phonics and spelling knowledge in your K–3 classroom. Develop an understanding of the essential elements of a word study curriculum, including the role of providing explicit systematic lessons on word study principles along with opportunities for students to apply what they have learned to reading and writing. Use a continuum of word study to plan for instruction.
In this course, you’ll expand your knowledge of how words work and you’ll learn how to support English learners and students who have difficulty learning to read and write.
By enrolling in an online graduate course, you have the flexibility to learn at your own pace with the support of a virtual community and have access to a variety of educational resources and materials at your convenience.
Course Outcomes
- Assess your understanding and knowledge of what children need to know about letters, words, and how they work
- Develop a continuum of what children need to know about letters, words, and how they work across grades K-3
- Learn how to administer and analyze a variety of individual and group assessments
- Learn how to plan for the word study/phonics curriculum for the children in your classrooms
- Plan for effective letter and word study centers
- Learn how to integrate phonics and vocabulary study across the literacy curriculum
- Develop a comprehensive system for spelling instruction
- Design effective lessons for explicit “out-of-text” teaching and plan for “in-text” teaching of phonics and word study during all reading and writing instruction
You’ll need access to a student at this grade level (K–3) to complete assignments successfully.
Required Texts
You are responsible for purchasing/having access to the following professional texts for this course:
- Blevins, W. (2017). Phonics from A to Z, 3rd editions: A practical guide. Scholastic.
- Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. (2022, 2017). The Fountas & Pinnell literacy continuum: A tool for assessment, planning, and teaching, expanded edition. Heinemann.
- Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. (2017). The comprehensive phonics, spelling, and word study guide. Heinemann.
- Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. (2018). Word matters: Teaching phonics and spelling in the reading/writing classroom. Heinemann.
This option must be taken for 3 graduate credits. Take the course individually or as an elective in our 18-credit Online Graduate Certificate in Developing Literacy Expertise Through Responsive Classroom Teaching.
Heather Rodman, Literacy Trainer 
Prior to joining the Center for Reading Recovery and Literacy Collaborative as a Primary Trainer, Heather was a Kindergarten, first, second, third, and fourth grade classroom teacher in Middletown, CT for 16 years. She was also a Primary Literacy Coordinator for five years where she provided literacy training and coaching to K-5 teachers. In addition, she was a member of the Connecticut Department of Education Common Core State Standards Curriculum Design Team for English Language Arts.
Interested in professional learning at your school or district? Schedule a meeting with one of our trainers.
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